Gareth is director of education advisory company 'the-learning-crowd'. With significant 'trouble shooting' school leadership experience and major involvement with transformation and new school design in the UK and abroad, he remains in demand by a range of clients. Previously Gareth was senior advisor to the Minister of Education (Cayman Islands) on education transformation. This blog tracks his life, views, good ideas and nightmares, but not too seriously!

Thursday, 28 February 2013

Passive Supervision - NOT!

I still can't believe how many new buildings I get to see round that have taken every opportunity to design in elements of passive supervision to help monitor student behaviour, which then get scuppered by inappropriately placed furniture.I recently toured a new school just days before students began using it and already furniture is being wrongly placed to stop that supervision before it's been used. It's a senior staff office at a critical junction of the school. It's a school that needs to monitor students carefully with staff that stated that they wanted to be able to see more. The Head and senior staff were consulted throughout the design process.Thankfully the Head has said that the cabinet will be moved and a strict glass policy introduced. (i.e: nothing on or blocking vision panels.) I'm going back in a few weeks time - I really hope that it has been moved. It's always harder later on if a culture of blocking views into classrooms has started.I'm told it will be moved - I hope it will be! (Watch this space)